“Cloud computing” services provide shared resources, software, and information to computers and other devices upon request or on demand. Cloud computing typically involves the over-the-Internet provision of dynamically-scalable and often virtualized resources. Technological details can be abstracted from end-users, who no longer have need for expertise in, or control over, the technology infrastructure “in the cloud” that supports them. In cloud computing environments, software applications can be accessible over the Internet rather than installed locally on personal or in-house computer systems. Some of the applications or on-demand services provided to end-users can include the ability for a user to create, view, modify, store and share documents and other files.
Cloud computing environments require methods for securely and safely authenticating users of various environments (e.g., business units) within the cloud computing environment. Often a user of one environment may need to perform an action in another environment. However, authentication of such actions is largely inefficient as it requires multiple authentications (e.g., username/password entries), since an authentication token in one environment cannot be used to authenticate in another environment.